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Sori Yanagi

Japanese, 1915-2011

Sōri Yanagi was a Japanese product designer. Born in 1915 in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Yanagi Sōetsu, founder of the Japanese folk crafts mingei movement, which celebrated the beauty of everyday objects, and the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingeikan). Yanagi entered Tokyo Art School in 1934, where he studied both art and architecture. He played a role in the Japanese modern design developed after the Second World War to the high-growth period in the Japanese economy. Yanagi was both a representative of the wholly Japanese modern designer and a full-blown Modernist, who merged simplicity and practicality with elements of traditional Japanese crafts. He designed the official torch for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Yanagi died in 2011 at the age of 96.

Average Sold Price
$1,465
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi
Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi

Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi

$7,766

H 13.39 in W 16.15 in D 13.39 in

Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Uccle, BE

This stool was made in 1936 for the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum. Made of Japanese cherry wood and seagrass. Today, you can still see the original benches made for this museum. Yanagi Soetsu (1889 – 1961), also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese art critic, philosopher, and founder of the Mingei (folk craft) movement in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s. His son, Sori Yanagi, was a renowned industrial designer. In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to Korea out of curiosity about Korean crafts. The trip led to the establishment of the Korean Folk Crafts Museum in 1924 and the coining of the term mingei by Yanagi, potters Hamada Shoji (1894–1978) and Kawai Kanjiro...

Category

1930s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Seagrass, Cherry

Sori Yanagi Rosewood Butterfly Stool
Sori Yanagi Rosewood Butterfly Stool

Sori Yanagi Rosewood Butterfly Stool

$4,800

H 12 in W 17 in D 17 in

Sori Yanagi Rosewood Butterfly Stool

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Turners Falls, MA

Sori Yanagi rosewood butterfly stool. Early and excellent example of this mid century classic. Beautiful book matched Brazilian rosewood seating sections. Brass screws and support s...

Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi

Materials

Brass

Wooden Sori Yanagi "Butterfly" Stool in Molded Plywood by Tendo Japan, 1980s
Wooden Sori Yanagi "Butterfly" Stool in Molded Plywood by Tendo Japan, 1980s

Wooden Sori Yanagi "Butterfly" Stool in Molded Plywood by Tendo Japan, 1980s

By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi

Located in Stockholm, SE

Rare and iconic wooden mid century "butterfly" stool in molded plywood by Sori Yanagi for Tendo Mokko Japan, 1980s. In good condition and purchased by the previous owner on a busines...

Category

1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Plywood

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, Japan, 1980s, simple, wabi-sabi.
Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, Japan, 1980s, simple, wabi-sabi.

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, Japan, 1980s, simple, wabi-sabi.

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Tokyo, Tokyo

An iconic “Butterfly” stool by Sori Yanagi, combining Japanese craftsmanship with modernist elegance in a fluid sculptural form.

Category

1980s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Wood

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, Mid-Century Modern, 1990
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, Mid-Century Modern, 1990

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, Mid-Century Modern, 1990

$480Sale Price / item|31% Off

H 14.5 in W 20 in D 18.25 in

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, Mid-Century Modern, 1990

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Centreville, VA

The Elephant Stool, designed by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, is a playful yet elegantly crafted piece that showcases the harmonious blend of function an...

Category

1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Plastic

Sori Yanagi White Elephant Stool for Kotobuki, 1960s
Sori Yanagi White Elephant Stool for Kotobuki, 1960s

Sori Yanagi White Elephant Stool for Kotobuki, 1960s

$5,500

H 14.57 in W 20.08 in D 18.31 in

Sori Yanagi White Elephant Stool for Kotobuki, 1960s

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Tokyo, Tokyo

An iconic mid-century design by Japanese master Sori Yanagi. The Elephant Stool embodies simplicity, functionality, and sculptural beauty. Featuring a distinctive arching silhouette ...

Category

1960s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Fiberglass

Sori Yonagi for Hida Bleached Oak Table and Chairs Reissue 2022
Sori Yonagi for Hida Bleached Oak Table and Chairs Reissue 2022

Sori Yonagi for Hida Bleached Oak Table and Chairs Reissue 2022

By Hida, Sori Yanagi

Located in Palm Springs, CA

A beautiful dining table and chairs by Sori Yanaga Design for Hida of Japan. This wonderful set in oak consists of 2 armchairs, 2 side chairs and the 47 inch diameter table. While he...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Sori Yanagi

Materials

Oak

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanaga
Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanaga

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanaga

$1,900

H 15.5 in W 12 in D 16.75 in

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanaga

By Sori Yanagi

Located in Chicago, IL

c. 1960s. Japan. Birch frame with brass stretcher. Signed

Category

1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi

Materials

Brass

Browse all Furniture from Sori Yanagi
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Sori Yanagi Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2026$1,316Mobiles and Kinetic SculpturesWoodunknown
2025$1,503Mobiles and Kinetic SculpturesWoodunknown
2025$1,250StoolsBrass, RosewoodUnknown
2025$1,512StoolsWoodunknown
$1,465
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$1,250-$1,784
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Sori Yanagi

More Sori Yanagi Designs
Butterfly Stool
Butterfly Stool
Average Price
$3,537
Number Available
2
Butterfly Stool
By Sori Yanagi
Materials
Wood, Brass, Metal, Plywood, Rosewood
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Consisting of two gracefully curving and identical molded plywood shells that recall butterfly wings and are fastened together by a single brass crossbar, the Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi (1915–2011) is the most acute mid-century merging of Eastern and Western sensibilities. When he introduced the structured chair to a market that had until then been defined by tatami mats, Yanagi upended Japanese tradition. But the Tokyo-born furniture designer, who created the all-plastic Elephant stool d...
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Sori Yanagi furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Sori Yanagi furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Sori Yanagi furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Sori Yanagi were created in the mid-century modern style in japan during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Junzo Sakakura, Akita Mokko, and Takeshi Nii. Prices for Sori Yanagi furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,221 and can go as high as $11,095, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,500.